59 
DESCRIPTION 
This insect belongs to the Lepidoptera, or family of moths, the 
young of which are called caterpillars. This species is commonly 
known to grain men as the fly-weevil—a very inappropriate name 
because it is not in any sense a fly. 
The eggs laid by the female on the kernel are at first milky 
white, but soon turn to a pale reddish. They are elongate, slightly 
bottle-shaped, about a fortieth of an inch long, with a roughened 
surface which, when magnified, is seen to be marked with minute 
rectangles in regular rows, giving them a resemblance to ears of 
corn. 
The recently hatched caterpillar eats its way into the lower end 
of the grain, making a barely visible round hole, which is the less 
noticeable because it is covered over with silk. The caterpillar 
begins to feed at once on the starchy material surrounding the 
embryo, and destroys the latter by the time it has itself become 
full-grown. (Fig. 2, c.) It is then about a fifth of an inch long, 
whitish, with a brownish head. A more complete description fol¬ 
lows. 
When first hatched the larva is no thicker than a hair, but when 
full-grown it is rather robust and gradually tapers backwards from 
the second segment. The head is brown, its lateral margins and 
the ocellar region are light, and the anterior margin is a little 
darker. The mandibles are strong, brown, bisetose, quadridentate, 
the lower tooth the larger and the size of the others gradually 
diminishing upward. The other mouth-parts and the antennae are 
brown, the latter short, three-jointed, and ending in a bristle. The 
six ocelli are white, and arranged in the form of an elongate letter 
C, with the inclosed space varying from very dark brown to nearly 
black. On the head, body, and legs are sparsely-placed white, 
setaceous hairs, those on the head, the first and last segments, and 
the legs, rather long. On segments two to twelve inclusive these 
hairs are less prominent, and are arranged in two transverse rows, 
those of the anterior row much the shorter. „ On the first and 
thirteenth segments the hairs of the two rows are of equal length. 
The body is white, smooth, and densely covered with minute, erect 
spinules. In some examples traces of brown patches appear on the 
back of the first segment. The spiracles, dorsal hooks, and minute 
terminal hooks on the prolegs are brown. The legs are large at 
the base, but taper rapidly, each ending in a small hook. The ten 
prolegs are small and wartlike, and each end in two or three minute, 
robust hooks. 
The pupa (Fig. 2, b) is about a fifth of an inch long, brown¬ 
ish, pointed ovate, with the adult appendages outlined thru the 
crust along its under surface. The wing-pads nearly reach the 
tip of the abdomen. The head end is obtuse; the posterior end 
